Letter: Israeli attacks in Lebanon encourage terrorist responses
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Mark Berg (Letters, 29 July) neglects to mention some facts that may help in understanding the situation in southern Lebanon. Before the Israeli invasion of 1982, and its subsequent 'Iron Fist' policy, together with the creation of concentration camps such as Ansar, where people were detained against all international conventions, nobody had heard of anything called Hizbollah.
Hizbollah gains its strength from posing as a resistance movement to Israeli occupation, and as such it is difficult for the Lebanese government to control it as long as Israel continues to occupy the south in defiance of UN resolutions. Hizbollah's operations are conducted solely against military targets inside the so-called security zone, and its shelling of northern Israel has always been in response to Israeli bombardment.
I fail to see how the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in the south could in any way weaken Hizbollah or strengthen the Lebanese government's ability to control it. On the contrary, Israel's latest action has grave consequences on the process of reconciliation and reconstruction and has put the efforts of the government to restore confidence in the country back to square one.
The people of southern Lebanon yearn for the re-establishment of government authority in their area; only then will Hizbollah's raison d'etre become redundant. The destruction of the villages in southern Lebanon will only create more radicalism in the face of a government unable to stop Israeli aggression, and it also prevents any moderates from having a voice. This cannot help the peace process.
In 1982, Israel's declared aim was to eradicate the PLO. The result was the creation of bigger problems than it set out to resolve. I fear that its present adventure will prove as disastrous, and it is time the international community put an end to such practices.
Yours sincerely,
NADIM SHEHADI
Director
Centre for Lebanese Studies
Oxford
29 July
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments